The idea that we are going to defeat the Taliban, peace is going to come, and we are going to have a stable government there, most people think is insane.

It is my sincere hope that we not only reduce our troop levels to 2,500, but that we reduce them to zero, that we leave Afghanistan.

To me the biggest loser in Afghanistan is the nation that stays the longest.

As awful as the Taliban is, and there is a lot of awful governments all over the world doing a lot of awful things, do we really think that at this point, if the Taliban came back into power--they are fighting ISIS too, by the way.

I would urge this committee as it moves ahead to do the right thing, the thing we promised, bring these brave people here.

These are surrender talks. We are waving the white flag, basically saying to the Taliban, you win, we lose.

I think the American people are saying, for what?

I would say off the top of my head, you know, I can't predict the future, but if you tell me I got to bet a hundred dollars one way or the other, I am betting rather confidently that the chaos is going to continue.

It is, I am afraid to say, folly to think that a full U.S. troop withdrawal is somehow going to make us safer.

I think that is something that there is bipartisan consensus on.

I feel very strongly that, as I think every member of this committee does, that the NATO alliance has served our country very well.